Loose leaf device



Sept. 20, 1932. c. A. FlNLEY LOOSE LEAF DEVICE Filed March 19, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 20, 1932. c. A. FINLEY 1,878,481

LOOSE LEAF DEVICE Fil ed March 19. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORCHARLES A.FINLEY 6y 7221s aZ'Z'aWne Z S Patented Sept. 20, 1932 PATENTPrice CHARLES A. FINLEY, or nurnnnronn, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR To noonuM &rEAsEI CQMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., econronnrron or NEWYYORK noosn r sievme Application filed March'lS, Serial No. 348,237.

This invention. relates to loose leaf devices and more particularly toloose leaf ring;

books. One object of the invention is to produceastructure which isstronger, more rigid, easier to manufacture and havmg a larger carryingcapacity. According to this :inven-- tion the complementary ring halvesare mounted on a pair of braced structures hinged together in place ofthe ordinary spring-pressed hinge plates.

Inthe drawings Fig. lis a perspective view of the new Fig. 4 is asectional view taken onthe. line.

4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the details of the braced structures at. onecross-section.

} s Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2 taken through the ringhalves and the braced.-

structuresshowing a method of mounting ring halves in the bracedstructures, while Fig. Bis a sectional VlGW. taken on the line 6 +6 ofFig. 1 showing hinged connection,

between the side covers and the braced structures carrying the ring.halves.

One of the commonest; types, of loose leaf devices isthe so-called,ring'book in which a c a ring is split into two halves each mounted ona separate plate carrying two or more of such halves, the plates movingthe halves or arches apart ortogether-to open or 1 close the 1 book bymeans of a rising or falling movement of the plates above or below thecenter line and actuated by the spring pressure of an outer spring plateof C form." The. sheets are threaded on the-ring halves; 'Whena ringbook is made with large rings togive. ca-. pacity the rings will notstayshut and the plates carrying the ring halves warp and twist thehalves open or out of register with each other. In practice it has beenfound that the C-shaped spring plate and flat ring:

supporting members do not function satisfactorilyinringdevicesofthisnate-hav .works triangular in cross-section.

ing a capacity greater than 1" for the reasonthat it is impossible tosecure enough tension by means of a C-shaped spring plate to hold thehalf-arches forming the rings, completely closed orin proper alignment.The stronger the C-shaped spring plate is made to over come this.difficulty, the harder it is to open the device inorder to remove orinsert sheets. According tomy invention a braced structure replaces theplain plate and C-shaped outer spring heretofore used.

Referring to the drawings, the ring halves or-arches 10, 11 which whenclosed form an are greater than 180 on which the sheets arethreaded arecarried by a binder metal composed of two braced structures or frame-Each framework comprises a longitudinal plate l2carrying thering halvesand meansbracing the longitudinal edges thereof against lateral orlongitudinal warping. These means are. at an angle to the plate and areshown as consisting of a vertical leg 13 and a.

diagonal brace 14. In the drawings the vertical leg 13 ismerelyxarightrangle flange on the inner longitudinaledge of the .carrying plate12 adapted, when the ring book is closed, to lie flush against thecorresponding legof the braced structure carrying the complementaryhalves of the rings. These legs 13 have hinge knuckles 15 thereonthreaded on a common pintle 16 (See Fig. 6). Also threaded on thispintle 16 are similar knuckles 17 of the diagonal braces 14;. .Thus the,bracing means form a hinged mounting between the two carrier plates withthe hinge, line below the plane of the plates. These diagonal braces mayif desired, be. curved plates each extendingfrom thismainhinge pintle,16 toqthe outer longitudinal. edge of,

the diagonal brace 14 and bent over it on.

the outside- At thepoints where these lips:

18 are locatedthe'edgesofthe braces are formed into hinge knuckles 19.Also in regi'ster with these knuckles 19 are knuckles 20. l

for the side covers 22 'andknucklesf21' on the carrying; plates 12...prefer toge'o, locate;

in any suitable manner. It will be noted that as a result of thisassembly there is a fiat writing surface in the'binder fromredge' toedge thereof. In order that the'back of the binder may match the sidecovers, cover pieces 28 may be riveted on the braces 14.

In mounting ring halves in ring books it has heretofore been customarytov square down, slot or otherwise cut in the Wire forming the ringhalves in order to mount them; in the plates. These ring halves are notonly subject to pressure strains not found in other -types of bindersbut arefrequently used as handles to spring the book open or. shutagainst the spring pressure heretofore incorporated in ring books. Thistends to twist and snap the halves. I

My novel means of mounting the ring halves on the carrying platesinvolves no diminution of the cross-section of the wire and consists inthe formation of a shoulder 25' around the wire a short distance fromthe end which is to be fastened to the carrying plate. When the ringhalf is to be assembled. with the carrying plate the end of the wire isinserted through an opening in the carrying plate which is not largeenough to permit passage of the shoulder 25. The end of the wire is thenhammered down to form a rivet head thus gripping the carrying platebetween the shoulder 25 and the rivet head. This gives a largerbearing'surface forthe wire on the carrying plate forming a strongerconnectionand one that does not in any way weaken the wire. The lengthof the bearing surface of the wire on the carrying plate is especiallygreat when the shoulder 25 is formed on the wire in a plane which is notnormal to the wire as is the case with the shoulder shown in thedrawings. The meeting ends .of the complementary ring halves arepreferably pointed and notched as shown in Fig.2.

For the purpose of holding the ring book closed any desired means can beemployed ing plates and the vertical flanges or legs 13.

. Inthe drawings I have shown a latch 26 carried on the inside of one ofthe flanges 13 and projecting through a slot in the flange 13 to engagethe edge'of a corresponding hole in the other flange 13. This latch'canbe operated from one end of thebook'by a push i It will be'observedithat rings cangbe made of any desired size-and thatthefrin rhalves can be thrown open to any desired extent thus permitting theintroduction or removal at one time of all the sheets which the binderis capable of holding.

The simplicity and strength of the structrue will be obvious. Thecarrying plates 12 are locked together at their adjacent longitudinaledges and cannot pull apart from each other. They cannot bend or warpdownwardly' at their outer longitudinal edges because they are braced bythediagonal braces 14. They cannot bend downwardly at their innerlongitudinal edges because of the juxtaposed position of verticalflanges 13 and the hinged connection between those flanges. They. cannotwarp'laterally because they grasp the pintles 23 and' are braced by theflanges13. In short, torsion or warping of any kind is impossible owingto the hinge pintles 16 and 23 andthe locking action of the verticalflanges13 and the diagonal braces 14. The uniting of the carrying plateswith the pintles 23 on either side of each ring half further strengthensthe structure and makes it impossible for the carrying plate to move inany direction. In view of this simple interlocking braced structure thecarry-- ing plates form a rigid platform for the ring halves andwarping, twisting or springing of the'ring halves is elminated. By thesemeans it is possible to use the same size of wire on a ring book withlarge rings that is used onfa ring book having small rings, and it is,therefore, possible to transfer sheets from a book having small rings toa book having large rings without repunching the feature which is notpossible in the ordinary ring book. It will alsobe observed'that sidecovers are connected in a direct line through the carrying plates andthelatch.

Modifications which do not depart from the scope of my invention willreadily occur to those skilled in-the art. 1

I claim: i

1. A loose leaf'ring book comprising a pair: of carrying plates,complementary ring halves forming an are greater than 180 mounted onsaidplates, in combination with rigid means bracing the longitudinaledges of said plates against lateral or longitudinal warping.

' 2. A loose leaf binder comprising 'complementary ring halves formingan are greater than 180, carrying plates on which said ring 1 halves aremounted, vertical flanges on each of said carrying plates and'diagon'albraces.-

each reaching 'from' the outer longitudinal pedge'of the carrying plateto the free edge of the ;vertical flange, in combination with sidecovers, and;at the adjacent longitudinal edges;

of said carrying plates, braces, and side covers, hinge knuckles andpintles uniting same and other hinge knuckles and pintle uniting saidbraces and vertical flange, rigidly except for hinging motion.

3. In a loose leaf ring book, a pair of carrying plates, complementaryring halves forming an arc greater than carried by said carrying plates,rigid bracing means hinged together forming a mounting between said twoplates, latching means adapted to lock said two plates together to forma rigid platform, each carrying plate being fastened along its outerlongitudinal edge to the bracing means on both sides of each ring halfby lips and hinge knuckles.

4. A loose leafbinder comprising complementary ring halves forming anarc greater than 180, carrying-plates on which said ring halves aremounted, vertical flanges on each of said carrying-plates and diagonalbraces each reaching from the outer longitudinal edge of thecarrying-plate to the free edge of the vertical flange, in combinationwith hinge knuckles and pintles, unitingrigidly, except .for hingemotion, the outer longitudinal edges of said carrying plates and braces,and another pintle and other hinge knuckles uniting rigidly, except forhinge motion, the free edges of the Vertical flanges and the innerlongitudinal edges of the diagonal braces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES A. FINLEY.

